By Becky Robinette Wright
Special Correspondent

Fire trucks lined the black paved driveway and the aerial ladders were raised high into the cloudy sky at the Eanes-Pittman complex, a huge American flag waved in the breeze stretched between the ladder trucks.

Chesterfield County fire and police officials, along with special guests and family members, gathered to dedicate the wall built to remember fire and EMS personnel who had died in the line of duty.

Seven years of planning and fundraising had resulted in the event that took place on Oct. 15, 2010.

Much had been done but the wall was not yet complete and funds were running low. More donations were still needed.

David Creasy, a retired battalion chief for Chesterfield Fire and EMS, has a plan to aid the memorial wall fund.

After 28 years, he retired from the Chesterfield Fire Department in 2001.

Creasy has just completed a book, but it is not just any book, it is a historical record of the fire department’s early beginnings.

So how will the book help the wall?

“All of the proceeds, short of the production costs, will be donated to the Chesterfield Fire & EMS Memorial Wall,” Creasy said. “All I really need is to know people enjoy reading about the history of the Chesterfield Fire Department. It is my hope that through this book others will help to pass the history on to future generations.”

How did the book come about and why?

“I have always been interested in Chesterfield history,” Creasy said. “Having watched the Chesterfield Fire Department grow from 13 individual departments to one outstanding and nationally recognized department was a wonderful experience for me.”

“I think, as with a lot of things, that people are interested in how it all happened. Several years ago I started to collect memorabilia and organized an exhibit in the county museum,” he added. “Since so much of the early years were independently organized, there was no central point to collect the overall history.”

Creasy pointed out that the book has not been a full-time project, taking about five years to pull everything together.

“I researched newspapers, Board of Supervisors meeting minutes, fire department records and of course talks with some of the old timers. The work with the publisher has taken about 14 months,” Creasy said.

He also said the history needs to be saved and taught.

“So much of the history of the volunteer fire departments is gone,” Creasy said wistfully. “ Many of the people have moved away or passed on, pictures and records have been thrown away, and, as mentioned before, there is no one central point that acts as a repository for the fire department history information. On top of this, we have a generation of firefighters that have no idea what it was like back in the day and has no link to the past.”

What was it like for Creasy writing the nuggets of history?

“I love talking with the old-timers, finding pictures and information that documents the Chesterfield Fire Department history,” he said. “I grew up in this department and it gave me a wonderful career. It is a tremendous family; always there in good times and bad. If you need something, they are there for you. I feel like writing this book not only allows me to enlighten folks but allows me to feel like I am giving something back by keeping the history of hundreds of firefighters alive.”

Firefighting had early beginnings in Creasy’s life.

“I joined the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department in 1968 while in high school,” the seasoned firefighter said. “I was 17 years old. I loved it from the start and was fortunate to learn from some great individuals.”

“In 1971, I went to work for the Richmond Fire Bureau,” he said. “I continued my volunteer firefighting on my days off. In 1974, I left Richmond and went to work full-time for the Chesterfield Fire Department.”

Creasy is still involved in public safety.

After retirement, he continued working part-time for Chesterfield Fire Department as an instructor as well as an instructor in the Community College System and with the Virginia Fire Marshal Academy.

In 2008, he was hired as the Fire Marshal for the Richmond Fire Department.   

Orders for the book received before Jan. 31 cost $29.95. After that date, the price will be about $34.95.

Creasy said all orders are being handled by the publisher, M.T. Publishing Company.

To order, go to www.mtpublishing.com or call 1-888-263-4702.